You're On Fire
by Nardini's Suck
Summary: HouseCameron. Set after first date, before Vogler pulls his crap. She still has a thing for him but is determined to keep it hidden. He begins to see her as more than a duckling. First attempt at House fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First time doing House fanfiction. May start out a little slow but it'll get better.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

You're On Fire 

_BEEP…BEEP…_Groaning immediately at the sound of the alarm clock she rolled over swiftly to pound on the 'Snooze' button. Smiling inwardly at her ability to temporarily stop the incessant noise she promptly rolled over onto her back, her eyes refusing to open. Stretching involuntarily her tired body across the bed she began rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to wake up as the smell of coffee drifted through her open door. Staring at her ceiling fan through slitted eye lids she contemplated the idea of calling in sick. As it was she rarely rook a day off and the bright sun peeking through the curtains of her windows, sending promises of a beautiful September day.

Rolling towards her nightstand where her cell phone was located she jumped as her alarm clock again began its call. Groaning in defeat she felt blindly for its electrical cord and jerked it from the wall, the noise dying instantly. Moving to sit on the edge of her bed she stretched again before walking slowly to the kitchen where the coffee was waiting for her.

A half pot of coffee and steaming shower later she stood in her room, clad only in underwear, debating on her clothing choice. His face promptly entered her mind, his intense blue eyes scanning her body as he did every morning, rendering her speechless until he finished his task and took the coffee she always had extended to him. Every article of clothing she had bought in the past year had been judged by him first, at least in her mind's eye. Force of habit, she had once explained to herself, a half-hearted attempt at fooling herself. With his face however came the memory of their date, the night she had allowed him to break her heart.

Pulling a light blue button down and dark blue Tommy Hilfiger jeans on she reached for a pair of socks and pulled it all on, grabbing her new white Adidas tennis shoes from the floor and a hair clip. Back in the bathroom she did her hair and dabbed on the little make up and perfume she frequented. Giving herself a once over in the full body mirror located on her closed bathroom door she decided on a silver chain dangling from the sink, placing it around her neck. Again she checked herself out, straightening her hair slightly and smiling at herself. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of the button down to reveal the cotton wife-beater, accenting the slight tan that she had somehow received from her runs during the hottest part of the summer. Her jeans looked snug and comfortable, her shirt fit her perfectly, (her bust feeling pleasantly larger than they really were with her flat stomach). Her tennis shoes were something she contemplated on for only another moment before deciding that they gave her a comfortable yet professional look.

Making her way through the kitchen she filled a Dixie To Go cup to the brim and grabbed her cell phone from her room before finding her keys, locking up and heading out to her car.

Her first order of business, as always, after stepping into his office was to sort mail. She sat comfortably in his chair finishing her coffee and making two separate piles of it. Throwing the junk mail away she left the remaining for him before heading into the conference room where she began the coffee. Taking a seat she waited patiently for the coffee to brew. Upon completion she walked to the counter where she readied two cups as Foreman stepped through the door. Grabbing their lab coats from the rack in the corner they exchanged possessions, wordlessly thanking one another as Chase came through the door. Pulling on his lab coat he immediately sat and placed his head in his hands.

With one look it was obvious he was hung over and after pulling on her lab coat she selfishlessly set her coffee before him, an immediate mumbling of a barely audible "Thanks" being his only response as she prepared two more cups of coffee. "Good morning ducklings!" He barked as he pushed the glass door open with his cane. Chase jumped and winced in pain to which Foreman only chuckled and rolled his eyes. Throwing a case file on the table House wasted no time in getting down to business. "Twenty year old. Male sex. Claims he can't hardly walk and his having muscle spasms." He said simply, allowing Chase and Foreman to look through the file.

His attention then went to his favorite duckling who was approaching slowly with coffee. Beginning with her hair he takes her in, slender neck (thanks to her pinned up hair), her protruding chest (pleasant surprise), flat stomach, tight jeans that showed off her muscled little legs, and finally her shoes…tennis shoes. He does an immediate double take at the sight and she doesn't fail to catch it. Same routine, different day.

"Could be early stages of Parkinson's." Foreman offered to which House gave no reply.

"He's twenty!" Chase exclaimed.

"His file says that he has a history of dystonia and uncontrollable shaking and since when does age take president to a disease?" He replied.

"It's just unlikely, look at all his past symptoms. It's not Parkinson's." Chase sneered. Their voices faded dully into the recesses of his mind as House finally took in her wife beater, eye level with the coffee she had extended to him. Forcing himself to grab the coffee he intentionally covers her hand to grab the coffee. Feeling her gasp slightly he brings a slow glance to her before giving an approving nod. Shaking her head in dismay at how stupid she allowed herself to be she watched him hobble over to the whiteboard and begin writing as she took her seat. Sipping her coffee and ignoring the boys arguing she took this time to eye House's blue jean clad ass. _'Very nice.'_ He turned to face them, catching Cameron as she whipped her head too quickly, a pain shooting noticeably through the side of neck to which she bit her lip in pain and hid her face.

Smirking at the sight House redirected his attention to the other ducklings. "What's wrong with him?" He asks simply.

"Simple case of spasticity, treat him and send him home." Chase offered, dropping his argument with Foreman.

"Did you even notice his night blindness or the fact that he has trouble walking?" Cameron asked, holding her neck somewhat casually and glancing temporarily at House as she stated the last symptom before peering back at the whiteboard behind him.

"Still could be Parkinson's, just more advanced than I thought with first glance." Foreman stated.

"And House would have snatched the case because…" She trailed.

"Yeah dawg." House snickered, pulling out his PSP and taking a seat at the end of the table beside Cameron, completely ignoring the temporary glare Foreman shot at him. "Think ducklings think." House stated, not looking up from his game.

"It could be a brain disorder." Cameron offered. "Brain failure could explain his blindness, trouble walking, shaking…"

"Now you're on to something." House replied with a raised eyebrow as he paused his game. "And I thought you were an immunologist." He snickered. "Maybe you and Foreman should switch fields. Run an MRI on him. Look for any abnormalities, swelling…anything that would result in the loss of his body functions." They stood at his request and headed towards the door before halted. "Foreman. You think you can run it without the neurologist for a minute?" He pointed to Cameron as if Foreman were stupid. Rolling his eyes he followed Chase out the door as Cameron readied herself for whatever the hell he wanted.

"Well done grasshopper." House stated, pulling himself up from the table and grabbing his game and cane. She glanced at her feet nervously and replied.

"Thanks. I think." She met his gaze finally to see an approving stare there.

"You're done sorting my mail." He stated, rather than asked.

"Yes." She replied, thinking she saw a momentary flash of disappointment in his eyes before his sarcastic gaze returned.

"Alright. Go help ghetto and pretty boy before they send the guy home with the flu." Exiting together he headed into his office as she continued to the elevator. Once inside with the doors closed she asked aloud. "What the hell was that?"

A/N: Review. Be gentle, yet critical.


	2. Chapter 2

This will start to take more form after a couple more chapters. I don't look for it to be any more than ten.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

The three stared in disbelief at the screen, rendered speechless at the sight before them.

"Iron accumulation in globus pallidus and substantia nigra." Foreman finally sighed as Chase ran his fingers through his curly blonde locks.

"He's so young." Cameron sputtered.

"Well this type of brain degeneration usually occurs in infants and children, beginning at childbirth." Foreman offered. "He's held off for a while." He comforted her, pressing a button and saying to the patient. "Alright Scott we got what we needed, we'll have you out there in a minute."

"Thanks. It's a little stuffy in here." He replied as Foreman brought the machine to life and the patient slowly began rolling out of the machine.

"This is extremely odd in a 20 year old." Chase finally offered. "I'll get the X-rays so we can go talk to House." Leaving the room Foreman and Cameron made their way to their patient as a nurse came to assist him into a wheelchair.

"Is a wheelchair really necessary?" Scott asked as he spotted the doctors through squinted eyes in the dark room.

"Afraid so." Cameron nodded, trying her damnedest to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"We're going to go consult with Dr. House and be in your room a little later." Foreman offered. "Should be no more than twenty minutes."

'You have to consult another doctor, is it that bad?"

"Dr. House is in charge of your case, we assist him."

"You didn't answer my last question." He replied, squinting to Cameron who immediately looked away so that he could avoid seeing her tears.

"We'll consult with House and be with you in a little bit. Rest ok?" Foreman offered, taking Cameron's arm and pulling her from the room. "You ok?" He asked as they headed toward the elevator where they met Chase.

"What's wrong with you?" The Aussie immediately asked.

"Nothing." She replied, wiping furiously at her eyes as the elevator door opened and they stepped on.

"I know its sad." Foreman offered. "But you need to suck it up, House…"

"Screw House." She interrupted, his name automatically ceasing her tears. "I'll be fine."

The elevator came to a halt on their floor and the three stepped off, walking into the conference room where House now was, staring again at the whiteboard. "Iron accumulation?" He asked automatically, seeing Cameron's dazed expression. Foreman solemnly nodded as they all took a seat around the doctor. "Diagnosis?" He asked, bringing his bum leg up to rest on the table.

"Could be a number of things." Chase replied, sliding the patient's scans to House. "Seitelberger disease, Parkinson disease, Huntington's disease, Joseph's disease… they all would explain his inability to control his movements, night blindness-" House stood to his feet and limped, cane-free over to the wall where he placed the scans. Eyeing them closely he stated all that three had seen immediately before dropping his head.

"Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome." He stated simply, his back remaining turned from them. "Did you check his eyes?" He asked, turning to them.

"Yes." Cameron stated simply. "Eye of the tiger."

"On your game today Doctor Cameron." House approved, limping to take his seat at the head of the table, staring down them.

"Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome?" Chase asked, confused as to where the name came from.

"Well if you want to get technical its Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation Type 1." House sighed. "They changed the name after World War II when the goons treated mentally ill patients like shit….blah…blah…blah… Retina degeneration?" He asked, eyeing a withdrawn Cameron.

"No, just the night blindness." Foreman replied. "Which is highly unusual since two-thirds of these patients have it."

"Indeed." House smirked. "You are looking at the one in every three million ducklings. His history shows that he was misdiagnosed three times: cerebral palsy, ADHD, go figure, and Joseph's disease."

"It could have just as easily been that." Chase defended.

"Yes it could have." House replied. "But due to his numerous health problems all signs point to HSS. Treatments?"

"We have to focus on his individual symptoms." Cameron stated. "Pallidotomy and thalamotomy can help control his dystonia."

"Those are both investigational." Foreman replied, looking to Cameron.

"It would give him some sort of relief." She argued.

"What for a year?" Foreman sniggered. "He probably wouldn't go through with the surgery anyway."

"How the hell would you know, are you his brain now?"

"No."

"Then tell me something better."

"We could give him Supplemental Pantothenate, he has low levels of Vitamin B5, it could help control it." Foreman replied.

"Chase?" House asked, cocking his head amusingly at the doctor. "Any ideas."

"He's prone to seizures." Chase offered weakly. "Before we give him anything he needs to be started on anti-convulsive drugs."

"Oh Chase, you've made me proud." House replied sarcastically as if to say duh. "Well Foreman you and Cameron go argue with the patient over what he should do while Chase here gets his drugs to prevent seizures."

"Are you serious?" Foreman replied, eyeing Cameron.

"Don't I look serious?" He replied.

"Don't you have an opinion?" Cameron asked.

"Yes I do." House replied, picking up a ball with his cane and tossing it up into the air before catching it. "Go talk to your patient and once you convince him of what he needs to do I'll go talk him into doing what I want him to do." The three stood and readied themselves for the door. "Cameron, stay back a minute." Looking skeptically at him and then Foreman. "Foreman wait for Cameron before you go in, give him a chance to hear both options before deciding. Happy?" He asked, turning to Cameron as Chase and Foreman exited the office.

She stood watching him continue with the ball in silence for a long moment. "You needed something?" She asked impatiently. He looked up at her as if just noticing her and let the ball drop to the floor.

"Shit, I was on a role. Sit down." He ordered, pulling a seat out to the right of him. Sighing she walked over and sat in the seat he had moved closer to him. Peering at her with his intense blue eyes he watched as she shifted nervously beneath his gaze. "Something on your mind?" He asked, taking out a bottle of Vicodin and dry swallowing two as he brought his elbows to his knees.

"No." She replied simply, ignoring his gaze.

"Look at me." He barked. Silently she obeyed, a questioning look on her face. He stared at her for another long moment, peering into her eyes as if he could read her thoughts. Her gaze wavered soon after and he bobbed his head down to again catch her gaze until she lifted her head, his stare following her. "You're hurting for this kid." Her only response was a nod. "You don't need to."

"And why the hell not?" She asked defensively.

"Why did you decide to be a doctor Allison?" He asked, watching as her facial expression changed from anger to something he couldn't identify.

"Because I care."

"You care too much."

"Is it so bad that I care about the well-being of patients?"

"There's nothing wrong with it at all."

"Then what the hell is this about?" Her voice was becoming angrier.

"You care too much." He stated again.

"You don't care enough." She retorted, her anger now reaching her eyes.

"Maybe." He replied, leaning back in his chair, keeping her gaze.

"Maybe? House you don't-" She was halted when he came forward again, his chair inching towards her.

"What Cameron? Just because I don't let the fact that most of my patients are dying get to me I don't care? I care about my patients, that's why I help them, I wouldn't be in this profession if I didn't somewhat care. You care too much." He barked.

"What is with this bullshit? Is that the only argument that you have against me? I care _too_ much?"

"My argument is that you need to separate yourself from it. People die everyday Cameron, everyone has to die."

"Thanks for telling met something I didn't already know." She said standing and moving towards the door. With one movement he rolled his chair in front of her with his good leg, her legs coming to rest between his as she glares down at him.

"My point Cameron," He starts as he stands, ignoring the gasp she takes at their proximity. "is that people are going to die. Treat one as best as you know how and if that's no good then move on to the next person. There's always someone out there needing help and if you're still upset about the last one then how the hell are you going to save a new one?" He can feel her breath on his neck as she finally allows herself to breathe and he closes his eyes in response, but only for a moment. Stepping back at her silence he allows her to sweep past him out the door. Sighing he drops back down into his chair where he pulls out a bottle and pops two more Vicodin.

A/N: Review please…I'm not above begging.


	3. Chapter 3

This story will become quite smutty before it ends, hence the M rating.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

"And the verdict is…." He trailed as they stepped into the room.

"He wants the Pallidotomy and Thalamotomy." Foreman sighed, his arms folded across his chest as the three stood before House who was staring in amusement at a beaming Cameron.

"Gloating doesn't become you." He informed her.

"I never said a word."

"You didn't have to." He replied.

"Are you going to go talk him out of it?" Chase spoke up.

"No, he picked what I would have recommended."

"Figures." Foreman muttered beneath his breath.

"I need to go speak to him anyway, make sure he knows what he's doing by agreeing."

"Cameron already explained it to him." Chase and Foreman replied in unison.

"I'm sure she candy-coated it, he needs to know what's really going to happen." And with that he grabbed his cane and made his way out the door, leaving a fuming Cameron in his wake.

"You do know they're gonna cut your head open and discontinue the use of part of your brain, right?"

"What?" The young man gulped, staring at House with wide eyes.

"Yeah, did Cameron fail to mention that?"

"Where did you escape from, the psyche ward?" He asked, staring at the stranger.

"No, I'm your doctor." He said, making his way over to the side of his bed, hand extended. Scott eyed him suspiciously and shook his hand. "Did they explain your options to you?"

"Yes, they told me that I have brain degeneration."

"Yeah that too. HHS has caused you to take on a feature called the "eye-of-the-tiger", this is the degeneration of your retina."

"I was told about that too."

"You'll be blind in less than a month." He stated simply, taking a seat next to the patient. "Where's your family?"

"Don't have any, parents died in a car crash when I was sixteen, neither of my parents had siblings and neither do I."

"Grandparents?"

"Dead long before I was born."

"Foster parents?"

"Lived on the streets after they died, had no other option, nobody wants a grown, sick kid. I've got more hospital bills than a jaguar has spots." House remained silent, listening to the kid talk. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"Everybody has to die." House shrugs.

"I know that you asshole."

"Five minutes and already calling you an asshole." Cameron states as she enters the room with another pillow.

"Hey Allison." Scott smiles, reaching for the pillow she holds out for him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She replies, looking at House. "What did you say to him?"

"He asked me if he was going to die and I told him that everybody has to." He shrugged.

"But he did it just like that." Scott accused. "Like a dick."

"He's always a dick." Cameron smiled, looking to Scott. "But he can help you, he's a good doctor." Ignoring House's face she smiled at Scott and left the room. Pulling his Vicodin from his pocket House downed two and looked back to a bewildered Scott.

"She likes _you_?"

"What gives you that impression?" House asked, resting his good leg on Scott's bed and flipping on the television. "General Hospital's on." He explained, pointing to the television. Only shaking his head Scott positioned the pillow behind his head and looked up at the TV as the drama unfolded.

Limping back into his office an hour later he looked over to see Cameron in the conference room picking at a salad. With his cane he knocked on the glass wall and motioned her over. Sighing she put her fork in the container to head over to his office. "Let's go to lunch." He said as she stepped through the door.

"I'm eating lunch."

"No you're eating rabbit food, let's go to lunch." Wilson chose this moment to step into his office. "Yes?" House asked somewhat politely, looking over Cameron's contemplating figures.

"Cuddy said you're supposed to be on clinic duty."

"I have a patient." House defended.

"Apparently you've already diagnosed him and you need to be in the clinic."

"Since when did you become his messenger boy?" House smirked.

"Since I asked him to get your ass down there." Cuddy replied sharply as she stepped through the door.

"Damn it Jimmy you were blocking the door." House smiled. "No can do." House replied. "Cameron here just offered to take me to lunch. She's hungry for some House." Cameron sighed in exasperation as Cuddy turned her head, just noticing her.

"Is he being serious?" She asked.

"Of course I'm serious, we were just getting ready to leave, Wilson walked in as we were discussing where to go, didn't you Wilson?"

"Well, I guess, they were getting ready to go." Wilson replied, only knowing that House was readying himself to leave and Cameron had been here. Cuddy still eyed House who was now smirking at her.

"Take your lunch and then limp your ass down to the clinic." She barked, passing Wilson and leaving the room.

"Ready?" House asked, standing.

"House-" Cameron started.

"I'm gonna go now, House I need to talk to you before you leave ok?" House only nodded as Wilson left the office.

"C'mon." House said simply, grabbing her upper arm and turning her towards the door.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they stepped onto the elevator and she broke her arm from his grasp.

"I told you we're going to eat." He said, sounding exasperated.

"Don't you usually just steal Wilson's food?"

"Not today. I'm taking you to lunch."

"Why?"

"Cameron." He said turning to face her as the elevator began to move. "I want to take you to lunch, that's all there is to it, ok?"

"Alright." She sighed as he continued to stare at her. She shifted her gaze from the door of the elevator to his eyes and she couldn't help but gasp as she again noticed their proximity. '_Twice in one day.'_ She thought, licking her suddenly dry lips and averting her gaze back to the floor after she thought she heard him whimper. _'No.'_ She chided herself. _'You're imaging things.'_

'_Did she hear me? She's ignoring me, she's blushing. Damn it she heard me. What the hell is wrong with me?' _As the elevator opened out onto the first floor he only stretched his cane towards the door while saying, "Age before beauty."

A/N: Review please.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not Mine…

"Whoa!" She halted him, staring at the helmet he extended to her.

"What?" He asked, staring accusingly at her. "Don't you trust me?"

"As far as I can throw you." She immediately responded.

"You're quite the fiery one," He replied. "You probably underestimate yourself."

"House-" She started.

"Cameron just get on the damn bike." He interrupted, placing the helmet on her head and then his own. Fitting his cane into its custom made holster he lifted his good leg and mounted the bike. Turning the keys to start the engine he revved it, drawing the attention of many passersby. Winking at her he slapped the face guard down on his helmet.

"Don't make me regret this." She warned him, placing herself gently on the bike. Revving the engine yet again he turned back to look at her.

"Unless you want bugs for lunch you better put your face guard down." He smirked. She obediently followed his advice and brought her arms up to her sides, debating on where to place them. Rolling his eyes despite the fact that she could not see him he reached around and grabbed both forearms in his hands, bringing them around his waist to rest on his stomach. Bringing his hands back to the handlebars he was surprised to feel his abdominal muscles clench in response and could only berate himself for the fact as he slowly backed out of his handicapped parking spot. Speeding away he tried to ignore the ringing in his ears due to the involuntary yelp that she released.

It was the closest thing to being free that she had experienced in a long time. Her closeness to House only increased as he sharply took curbs, her body shifting closer to him with each one. Supressing her urge to scream as he sped up she only tightened herself against him, beginning to trust him more as they glided down the highway. Soon she found herself moving with him as he leaned his body away from a curb, loving the way his muscles tightened at the feel of her grasp.

Closing her eyes and allowing herself to feel the wind whipping her body, House's warm body held tightly to hers. She wanted to stretch her arms to her side, glide along with the back, fly through the air. She instead opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings as they passed as blurs around her. They were moving so quickly, and yet time seemed to stand still.

Her high however was brought to an end as he gradually slowed, allowing his legs to steady them as he parked the bike in a remote parking lot. Positioning the kick stand he removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair. "Did I scare you that much?" He smirked, turning his head at Cameron who still had her arms wrapped around him. At his remark she extracted her arms, a blush creeping over her face at her stupidity. "Don't be embarrassed, this body is worth holding on to…" He informed her as he pushed himself off of the bike and watched as Cameron did the same.

"Why would I be embarrassed?" She asked, removing her helmet and sitting it on the bike.

"Even through that dark helmet, Dr. Cameron, I still know you."

"Where the hell are we?" She asked, taking in the forestation around them.

"Does it matter?" He smirked, grabbing his cane and limping off down a trail.

"Why are there so many cars in the middle of no where?" She asked, looking around at the full parking lot.

"This place must be popular." He replied. "Now come on, we've already wasted fifteen minutes of our hour." She followed close behind him down a dirt path for a couple of minutes before a huge log cabin appeared before them.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"It's a restaurant." He replied sarcastically.

"How long has it been here?"

"About a year."

"I didn't even know this was here."

"Neither did I, Wilson was talking about it." He said as the walked through the front door of the loud building. A waitress immediately appeared and House only gestured between the two of them as the waitress directed them up a ramp and to a table where she seated them.

"Drinks?" She asked, pulling out two menus and a note pad.

"Coffee and a water." Cameron replied, taking in her surroundings. The Rolling Stone's 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', played from a jukebox as noisy people laughed around them.

"I'll have the same." House replied.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and to take your order." She smiled, taking off down the ramp. Cameron continued to take in her surroundings, finally looking to her left where she gasped. The restaurant overlooked a lake, the water glimmering in the afternoon sun. He watched her, amazed at how delighted she became at the sight of a lake.

"House did you see the lake?"

"Yeah." He responded carelessly, looking at the menu. "I'm thinking about the ribs."

"House!" She exclaimed, her attention coming back to him.

"What? I'm hungry." He barked, looking out at the lake. "Nice puddle."

"House!"

"Again, I am hungry." The waitress chose this moment to return with their drinks, setting them before her as House ordered. "Baby back ribs for me and for skinny over there…"

"I'll have the same." She murmured, bringing her gaze back to the lake. The waitress nodded and took for the kitchen.

"Are you sure you can handle the ribs?"

"Why couldn't I?"

"It's a pound of ribs." He informed her.

"I can handle the ribs." She responded, taking a drink of her water.

"Clinic duty for a week says you can't finish them." House challenged.

"What's in it for me?"

"Did you not hear me say clinic duty?"

"What, more time for you to sit in an exam room for an hour playing your PSP, not a fair deal."

"Alright then, what do you propose?" He asked.

"I say that if you win I'll do your duty for a week, if I win then you…" She hesitated a moment, trying to think of something worth while.

"What, you want another date?" A small smile starting at the corner of his mouth

"Learned from my mistakes." She informed him to which he only smirked. "You have to…"

A/N: A mean sort of cliffhanger. Review please, I'm taking suggestions on what Cameron should make him do, **IF** he wins…


	5. Chapter 5

If anyone's interested in beta'ing the next chapter for me I would appreciate it, I'm having doubts about where I want to take this and a second opinion would be nice…

Disclaimer: Not Mine…

"What?" He asked, watching her brain turn in her head for ideas.

"I'm thinking House!"

"Well if you don't decide soon then the deal will be null and void."

"No it won't." She replied smugly, looking out across the lake.

"And why the heck not?" He smirked.

"Because you wouldn't pass up a week free of clinic duty." She stated simply, turning to him with a devilish smile.

"Don't be so sure." He replied, curious as to what she was going to make him do.

"Alright, if I win then…I want you to play for me."

"What in a sand box? I don't think the ol' leg can take it."

"You know what I'm talking about House."

"Don't you want anything else? I'd rather wear a dress to work." He mumbled.

"Interesting but no, that's what I want." She smiled, gazing back at the lake. He contemplated the deal for a moment before catching her gaze.

"You're on." He finally replied. "You haven't even seen these ribs."

"Neither have you." She shot back.

"No but I'm a man."

"Are you sure? I've never seen a man so eager to wear a dress to work."

"Oh trust me, I'm more of a man than anyone you know." He informed her, leaning against the table and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"I don't trust anyone House, you should know that by now." She replied, avoiding his gaze and looking down at the table.

"Is little Cameron insecure?" House questioned, actually curious as to her statement.

"Like I said before House, I learn from my mistakes." She replied quietly.

"Why did you take our patient a pillow today?" He finally asked, looking for anything to break the silence.

"He had mentioned earlier that the pillows he had were uncomfortable. I figured that since you were dragging yourself down there to be mean to him that I would get him one and make sure that you weren't being too much of an asshole." She replied simply, beginning to smirk.

"What's with that?" He asked, leaning back in his seat and sipping on his coffee.

"With what?"

"That smirk." He barked.

"I just find it amazing that you spent the whole of a minute with him and he named you to a t."

"I'm more used to arrogant bastard than dick." House responded.

"Nothing wrong with change." She replied, looking towards the waitress who was bringing out their meals. Her face turned from that of hurt to that of shock as she looked at the plate of ribs. As they were set before them her eyes grew wide, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at the steaming ribs.

"Enjoy." The waitress smiled. "I'll check on you periodically for refills."

"Thanks." Cameron murmured, swallowing the lump that appeared in her throat.

"Eyes too big for your stomach?" He finally asked, his mind whirling with the contemplation of who had hurt her so badly.

"No." She replied, defiantly, picking up a rib and sinking her teeth into it, her face contorting as she bit into the bone, hard. Removing the rib and rubbing at her teeth House burst into laughter.

"A week free of clinic duty." He smiled, digging in on his own food. She only watched him, disconcertion etched all over her face.

"Awful sure of ourselves, aren't we?" She asked, bringing the rib to her mouth and biting off an entire side with one bite.

"I've seen you eat." He shrugged, watching her as she finished off her first rib and began digging into the second one. "Might want to slow down, the faster you eat the quicker you become full."

"I am eating slow." She replied smugly, taking a sip of her coffee as she finished the second. At this point House began to sweat…

Fifteen Minutes Later

Smiling from ear to ear, with barbecue sauce covering her face Cameron threw the last of the rib bones on the table. "You obviously don't know me as well as you thought." She threw at him, picking up her glass of water and downing its contents, effectively spilling some down her face where it fell as flavored water. Picking up a napkin he reached it across the table to her.

"You're a pig." He said simply as she took the napkin and began to cheekily wipe away the sauce. Looking down at his own completed ribs he could only sigh, pulling the bottle from his jacket pocket and downing two pills.

"You're a junkie." She replied, laying her napkin down and reaching for her coffee. Watching her lean forward he smirked and picked up yet another napkin. "More?" She asked, taking the napkin and wiping furiously at her face.

"Right." He said gruffly, watching as she went left. "My right." He directed her. "On your cheek." She maneuvered around her face for a moment, following House's cold and warm signals until finally he sighed and reached across the table. Taking the napkin from her hand he brought his left hand up to grasp her cheek, turning her left cheek towards him and wiping the spot away. He couldn't help but notice that she was warm and that her breath was now caught in her throat.

Refusing to look into her eyes he took an extra moment removing the spot from her cheek, finding another and wiping at it until she had no choice but to take a breath, one that came out as an explosive gasp. Pretending not to notice he gently turned her head to the other cheek, examining it closely as she took several short breaths, before finally turning her to face him, blue on blue. Giving an approving nod he removed his hand from her face and dropped back into his seat, his leg throbbing wildly from his position. "Thank you." She whispered, looking down at her hands which she quickly occupied with her cup of coffee.

"We need to get going." He stood. "We've only got fifteen minutes." Picking up his cane he limped away as she dug for a couple of ones to leave on the table. He was already outside when she found him.

"You paid that quickly?"

"They put it on Wilson's tab." House shrugged, already mounting the bike and throwing her a helmet. "C'mon." Sliding onto the bike behind him Cameron automatically slid her arms around his waist and within a moment they were speeding down the highway. Sighing as he drove Cameron took the time to memorize every moment, every feeling coursing through her at that moment. For the first time in two years she was beginning to feel herself relax…with him, out of all the people she knew, _House_? Clutching herself to him all the more she again sighed, knowing this feeling wouldn't last long or ever happen again…with him.

A/N: Review PLEASE!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine…

"We'll talk about the terms of our agreement later." He informed her as he dismounted the bike and threw his helmet on the back of it before dismantling his cane and limping towards the front doors of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Used to these one sided conversations she only removed herself from the bike and pulled her helmet off, her shirt rising to show her flat stomach as she did so. Quickly pulling her shirt down she threw the helmet next to his and nervously undid her hair and bent over to redo it. Looping the hair bow around as she entered the hospital she was surprised to see House standing there, waiting for her. "What took you, I told you we needed to talk about the bet." He barked. She only sighed in exasperation and followed him towards the clinic.

"Where are we going?" She asked, confused as to why he was actually listening to Cuddy.

"The clinic, Cuddy told me to limp my ass down here after lunch." He explained as if she hadn't been there.

"I know, but why not just give your name tag to Foreman like you always do?"

"I don't feel like going upstairs."

"Bull shit. You'd rather walk a hundred flights of stairs than do clinic duty."

"I know, that means that my not wanting to go upstairs must be for a very good reason."

"And what reason is that?" She asked, following him to the nurse's station where he was handed a stack of files up to his pecs. Handing them to Cameron he brought his attention to the nurse.

"Give me ten minutes before you call one of them back." He told her to which she only nodded as he began limping back to Exam Room 5 at the end of the hallway, Cameron right behind him. Turning the knob and then pushing the door open he wasted no time in crashing on the exam table, PSP already out. Sitting the case files on the counter she turned to lean against it as he began playing the game, his focus solely on that.

Several minutes passed before he finally closed the game and looked up, jumping in surprise when he met her gaze. "What are you still doing here?"

"You told me to follow you." She informed him, smirking at his still wide eyes.

"When?" He barked.

"In the lobby, you told me we need to talk about the bet." His squinted his eyes at her, feeling rather than seeing how nervous she was becoming. He opened his mouth to speak when the head nurse knocked and popped her head inside the door.

"Ready for your first patient?" She asked, looking warily at the two of them.

"Send 'em back." House nodded, slowly getting off the table. Taking the first file on the stack he looked it over. A woman in her mid-20's walked in, holding her purse and a child on one hip. "You have strep throat." He told her before she could even sit down, taking out a prescription pad and writing her one.

"You haven't even looked at me." She protested in a strained voice. He responded by looking up at her, holding her gaze for a moment before looking back down to his writing.

"This should clear up the swelling and allow you to eat something more than soup. Fill this right away and take it twice a day for the next week, you'll be fine."

"Is he serious?" The woman asked, looking now at Cameron who nodded. "I don't know how comfortable I am with this, maybe I should get a second opi-"

"Your kid was here not a week ago with the same thing. Your file says that you are a stay-at-home mom with five children. In the past six weeks four of your kids managed to catch it, probably from their germ-infested school and now you have caught it. Surprise, surprise! Go home, go to sleep, and neglect your children for the next week." He barked, placing the scrip in her hand and opening the door. "Next!" He yelled as the door opened, throwing the woman's file on the chair next to the door. Wordlessly Cameron headed towards the door, arms folded across her chest.

"Hey!" He called to her as an elderly man in suspenders was guided into the room by a nurse. "When do you want to take me up on the bet?"

"When I can stand to look at you I'll let you know." She called over her shoulder, her steps quickening as she left a bewildered House.

"You wanted to talk?" House asked, pushing Wilson's door open with his cane before plopping down on the seat in front of his desk.

"Yes." He replied simply, not looking up from his paperwork.

"You should really get Cameron to help you with that…" House offered.

"I don't need Cameron to _do_ my paperwork." Wilson retorted. "I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

"Just a suggestion." House defended, throwing his hands up in mock-defensiveness. "What is it that you wanted, quitting time is soon approaching."

"You know why I want to talk to you." Wilson sighed, rubbing his temples and looking up at him.

"No, Jimmy I do not." House informed him, fixing his best friend with an intense stare.

"It's about Cameron."

"What about her?"

"Well it's not about her, it's about you and her…" He trailed.

"What about us?"

"Why did you take her to lunch today?"

"I felt like it." He stated simply, standing to his feet.

"Don't hurt her House!" He called.

"What the hell does that mean?" House barked, turning to stare at his friend from his office door.

"Don't hurt her, if this is some scheme to make Stacy jealous-"

"This has _nothing_ to do with _Stacy_." House spat, leaning heavily on his cane.

"Then why the sudden interest in Allison?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know." He stated, limping back towards the seat in front of Wilson. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"Swear on your nuts that this doesn't leave your ears." House commanded.

"I swear."

"You know this cane serves more than one purpose-" He started.

"Out with it man, you know you can trust me."

"That's what this is about partly, trust. Cameron doesn't trust me, you, Foreman, Cuddy, Chase-"

"I get it." Wilson interrupted. "So what?"

"I want her to trust me." He stated simply.

"What the hell for?"

"I don't know. She's just…since that date, since I told her what I thought of her "crush"," He trailed, using air quotes.

"What? You like her." He stated rather than asked. "And now that you've been a smart ass you're afraid you don't have a chance with her." House gave no response to this, only folded his hands in front of his face, resting his chin on his fingertips. "House?"

"She's a duckling." House stated simply. "A very puzzling duckling."

"What happened at lunch today?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I took her to that restaurant you were bragging about."

"You did?" Surprise covering his face,

"Yeah."

"And-"

"And what, we ate, she won a bet, we came back."

"Bet?" He asked, waving his eyebrows inquisitively.

"Yeah, I bet her a week of clinic duty that she couldn't finish the ribs."

"The pound of baby backs?"

"Yeah, and the sides."

"Whoa."

"Yeah, healthy appetite." House stated, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"So you're doing her clinic duty?"

"No, she wants me to play for her."

"Play what?"

"A song." He informed him.

"On _your_ piano at _your_ house?"

"I don't know, we didn't work out the logistics yet."

"Why not? I figured she would cash in, get herself into your apartment."

"She got all pissy on me earlier when I told a patient to neglect her kids who had given her strep throat."

"Oh…" He replied with a knowing look. "What are you going to play her?"

"I dunno."

"What type of music does she like."

"How the hell should I know!" He exclaimed,

"Journey and U2." Wilson informed him.

"How the hell do you know?"

"I have her iPod."

"Why?"

"Jealous?" He smiled, pulling the iPod from his top desk drawer.

"Hell no." House replied, reaching towards the iPod.

"Ah…" Wilson halted him, pulling the device from within his reach. "Why do you want it?"

"Curiosity."

"It killed the cat."

"Quit acting like a five year old and share." He barked, finally seizing the iPod and standing to his feet.

"She left in the conference room along with the rest of her salad, I figured I'd grab it before you did." He called after him to which he gave no response. Leaning fully back in his chair he watched House limp away, the ear phones already to his ears. Sighing he again rubbed his temples, inwardly dreading what ever motives House had behind doing this. '_Why does he want her to trust him? Why the sudden interest?'_ Standing to his feet he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door, he could think about it while sleeping at the hotel…again.

_A/N: Any good? Review please!_


	7. Chapter 7

"Interesting." He said to himself as he took a seat in his office, the conference room beside him dark, signaling that the ducklings and took their flight home. Her iPod had proved interesting, holding everything from ACDC to ZZ Top. With every song he became more intrigued, realizing more and more that she was indeed a puzzle, one that he would do anything to solve. Smiling he listened as _Aerosmith's _"Pink" blared into his ears and with the press of a button his brow furrowed in contemplation as a familiar guitar chord rang through his ears. "_Black Label Society_". He said after a moment, looking down to confirm that it was indeed the song, "Blessed Hellride". She truly did have good taste. A few of the songs puzzled him, more than a few intrigued him, and most he found himself mouthing the words to. This song was one of them.

How had he not heard of these before. Cameron had excellent taste in music. Heavy metal, modern Rock, alternative Rock, classic Rock…yet no classical, no surprise there. Wilson had been right with his assumption of U2 and Journey, having every song that both bands had ever done, to his knowledge. Stopping momentarily he let the familiar notes of a piano drift through him, his hands coming to his desk where he played an imaginary piano to _Journey's_ "Faithfully". His eyes closed as he let his fingers move across the edge of the desk, feeling as if he were playing the notes and not just listening to them. His eyes shot open however as he felt the headphones being jerked from his ears from a frustrated looking Cameron.

"Add rogue to your list of charming characteristics." She told him, an amused look on her face at the sight of a surprised House.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, looking straight at her chest revealed by her now open shirt.

"I forgot my iPod." She replied sarcastically holding up the device.

"I was going to give it back to you." He told her.

"After you ran the battery down." She replied, looking down at the thing as she turned it off.

"Journey fan." He stated rather than asked to which she only nodded in response. "You have good taste in music." He informed her, grabbing his cane and limping towards the door as she followed close behind.

"Don't try to evade the subject that you stole my iPod."

"I didn't steal it, Wilson did." At this she only snorted in laughter. "If you don't believe me then ask him tomorrow. You left it when we went to lunch and he picked it up before someone else did."

"Then why do you have it?" She asked, pressing the down button as they stood outside the elevator.

"Curious." He stated simply as the doors opened and he stepped on.

"Why?" She asked, stepping on and standing in the corner opposite to look at him, folding her arms over her chest.

"No reason, just curious." He replied, leaning heavily on his cane as he popped two Vicodin.

"Like what you heard?" She finally asked as the elevator doors closed and they began moving down to which he only shrugged. "Alright." She sighed as the elevator halted on the lobby floor, quickly exiting and hearing him limping not far behind her. Forcing herself not to look back at him she kept a steady pace, fast enough to where it looked as if she wanted to get the hell out of dodge but slow enough that he could keep up with her…halt her.

And that's what he did. Stepping out into the night she sighed at the cool air and gasped at the feel of a warm hand gripping her upper arm. Turning she met his gaze instantly, surprised at the intense stare he was giving her. When sure that she wouldn't run away he released her arm and looked away, not wanting her to see how nervous she was making him. Staring down at his cane he finally looked up at the night sky and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "You know what I hate about the city?" He finally asked after a long moment of silence.

"What?"

"The lights. On a clear night like this it is impossible to see the stars." He revealed, seeing her crane her neck upward and nodding her head in agreement. "You can always see the moon, but not the stars." He sighed, limping towards his bike where he grabbed a helmet and limped back over to her. "Let's go." He commanded, surprised when she followed without hesitation, stuffing her iPod into her back pocket and her car keys into her front one. Resuming their position of earlier he pulled out of the parking lot and away from the main highway.

They drove for what seemed like eternity, more stars becoming visible with every mile he distanced them from the city. She kept her arms tightly about his waist, her head resting on his back as the warm night air whipped her button down back with their speed. Goosebumps periodically coursed through her at the feel of the his warm body and the cool air. Soon, too soon, he pulled over. They were now at a park, one that she had never knew existed and apparently no one else had either, it was run down. Removing her helmet she smiled at the sight of a see-saw and walked over to where she positioned her body flat against it, her arms serving as a pillow behind her head as she looked up at the star-filled night. House only watched her, so innocent looking in the moonlight.

She could feel his eyes on her however and she looked to him, raising an eyebrow skeptically and pointing with her head to the see-saw beside her. House walked over and sat on the see saw, carefully waiting until it tilted down before laying back and supporting his body with his good leg on the ground and bum one stretched the length of the metal. Surprisingly his leg was not screaming in pain at this unfamiliar position and he found himself soon staring off into the stars with her, his cane forgotten in the sand between them.

Crickets chirped all around them as the trees whistled in the wind, the warmth and simplicity of it all providing all the noise they needed, or so he had thought. "Why are you so interested in the stars?" She asked, letting her left leg fall to the side as she began slowly letting her body teeter and totter.

"Always have been." He answered gruffly. "I wanted to be Neil Armstrong." His head shot towards her as she snorted in reaction, a smile spreading across her face.

"You, an astronaut?" She said, containing her laughter after seeing the disappointment flash across his face.

"Yes, for a very short time period, then at the age of five I decided on medicine so that dream went down the shitter."

" For some reason I'm having a hard time seeing you in a rocket ship." She smiled, looking back up at the sky.

"It wasn't the ship I was interested in, it was the stars, the moon, the sight of it all."

"It is a sight to behold." She agreed, stilling her movements. "House, why did you bring me here, other than to tell me that you wanted to be an astronaut?" He stayed silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating the answer, truth was he just couldn't get it out.

"I want you to trust me." He replied easily.

"What, why?" She asked, chuckling at his request.

"When you were talking today at lunch, telling me that you don't trust anyone…" He trailed.

"House that's a general precaution, it's nothing personal."

"I'll be damned if it's not personal. Trust has everything to start and end with being personal." He braked, turning his head to stare at her.

"I just don't trust people in general, nothing good can come with trust."

"Why not?"

"Why the criticism?" She shot back. "Of all people I would have thought that _you_ could at least relate to that."

"And why is that Cameron?" He asked, sitting up to glare at her, wincing in pain the suddenness of this movement.

"Because your whole attitude towards life is not giving a fuck!" She exclaimed, sitting up to return his glare. "You act as if the patients you help and the few friends that you have don't hold any significance to you at all. You never allow yourself to open up to anyone!" She accused.

"And I suppose you're Miss Chatty?" House barked, anger beginning to rise in his voice.

"No, but I have every reason not to trust people."

"Oh and I don't?"

"I don't know House!" She exclaimed. "That's the point. For whatever reason you can't allow yourself to care about someone is the same reason I won't allow myself to trust someone. You tell me."

"You're afraid to get hurt." He said simply.

"And you aren't?" She sniped, to which he couldn't respond. "That's what I thought."

"The last time I let myself care for someone it ended…horribly." House revealed, gritting his teeth.

"And the last time I let myself trust someone it shattered me." She said quietly. "I don't think I can go through that disappointment another time."

"Who hurt you?" House demanded, _needing_ to know why the hell she was so broken.

"That's none of your business." She told him, finally breaking eye contact and looking to the ground.

"Bullshit!"

"What?"

"I call bullshit." He said simply, catching her gaze again. "Let's see what you got…"

A/N: Review PLEASE!!!


	8. Chapter 8

"Why the sudden interest?" She snapped, giving him the same intense glare he was beaming at her. They stared at one another in silence for a moment until House finally looked away, shaking his head as if he hadn't heard her question.

"What?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Why do you suddenly want to get to know me? You've never made any attempt before, why all of the sudden are you interested?"

"Could it be that I just want to get to know you better?" He snapped.

"Why, so you can poke fun at me for my insecurities, slap me in the face with my own personal vendettas in front of everyone…to humiliate me?"

"What makes you think I would do that?"

"You are nothing if not yourself." She replied simply. "Any tidbits that I would let you in on you would inevitably be known as public news, don't ask _me_ why, you're just like that."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

"Bullshit."

"Then why the interest in me?" He retorted. "For the past year and a half you've done nothing but open yourself up to me, telling me that I need to express how I feel, all that physchological bullshit-"

"Have you ever once thought that maybe it would make you feel better, to let people know what makes you… _you?_" She interrupted. "Don't talk to me about insecurities when you can't even admit to your own." She spat, standing and beginning to walk away.

"Who are you to talk to me about not admitting _my_ insecurities…" He asked as she turned on her heels to glare at him as he sat there, her arms folded over her chest. "when you can't even admit your own?"

"A double-sided coin so to speak." She pointed out, staring down at her shoes.

"I would never say anything to hurt you Cameron." He informed a stunned Cameron.

"It's not what you _say_ House, it's what you do." She sighed. "When we're at work…" She trailed.

"In the office…" He started, contemplating on how to finish. "That's just the way I am, I would never intentionally say _or_ do something to poke fun at or humiliate you." He informed her, holding the gaze she now had fixated on him.

"What is this?" She asked again, coming back over to sit across from him, keeping eye contact with him.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully.

"What are we doing?"

"Again, I do not know." He answered slowly, rubbing his temples. "What do you want it to be?"

"You know what I wanted." She replied, looking back up to the sky as he winced at her use of the past tense of want.

"Let's go to my place and have a drink." He offered. "Maybe with a little alcohol we'll quit arguing and loosen up." She nodded in response, following along side him as they began to walk towards his bike.

"House." She said in a small voice, looking down at the ground and refusing to meet the gaze she could _feel_ him giving her. "Don't make me trust you if you're gonna hurt me." She sighed, House seeing the wall she had built around herself slowly inching down. Stopping just inches from the bike he picked up her helmet and turned to face her.

"I will **never** hurt you." He replied, looking into her eyes, so weary and nervous. Placing the helmet on her head and slapping the face guard down he turned and did the same for himself. Putting his cane in its holster he mounted the bike in front of an awaiting Cameron and within a moment they were off into the night.

'_Where did that come from?' _She berated herself. _'You are the biggest sap on the face of the planet! What are you trying to do, make him fall in love with you and your mysteries? He's only interested because of your distrust. What are you going to do when he finds out the truth? He'll get bored with you and then you'll be alone…again. Heartbroken and lonely, just like always.' _ Her mind whirled as the city blazed past them, nothing completely in focus. _'At least your used to it.'_ She told herself as they came to a halt in front of 221B. She sighed when her arms had to release House's body and was it just her or did he just let out a loud breath? Why is his breathing labored? He just drove a bike, what is there to get out of breath about? _'Could he?'_ She asked herself, getting off of the bike. _'Don't kid yourself, it'll only break your heart…again.'_

"Make yourself at home." He directed her as he limped off to what she assumed was the kitchen. Taking in her surroundings in his somewhat familiar home she decided on the couch, pushing herself as close to the end of it as she could go before leaning back to rest comfortably. He slowly shuffled back into the room without his cane, instead holding two cups of ice and a bottle of what looked like scotch. "You like?" He asked, halting himself and holding the bottle up so that she could see. Nodding he continued to the couch where he sat next to her on the middle cushion, not touching yet close enough that she could feel his body heat emanating off of him.

Placing the bottle between his legs he offered her a glass, ignoring the waves of heat coursing through him as her fingers brushed his. Switching the glass and the bottle around he unscrewed the top and poured her glass to brimming. Doing the same to his own he set the bottle on the table in front of him and turned so that he could face an amused Cameron. "What?" He asked as she turned so that they were facing.

"Trying to get me drunk?" She asked, downing half her glass and staring down at her glass which was only half full.

"What ever gave you that idea?" He asked, propping his elbow on the couch and placing the side of his head on his knuckles, staring intently at her as she answered.

"It's customary to only fill scotch half way into a glass." She replied, taking a sip of the drink.

"I don't do anything half-way." He shrugged, taking a long pull on the drink, his eyes focused on her as a small smile played at the corner of her lips. "What?" He asked, feigning innocently. "Is Cameron having dirty thoughts?"

"No!" She exclaimed, looking at him like a deer caught in headlights.

"So you're trying to tell me that you're not picturing me naked?"

"House!" She exclaimed. "No!"

"So you are picturing me naked." He rasped, watching as Cameron hung her head in exasperation.

"What? House…how did you get that from no, I think that speaks in itself."

"No… no in the context you used it in would mean yes." He smiled. She thought for a moment and he watched as her brow furrowed in concentration for a moment, seeing their banter play back in her mind before she finally sighed.

"You take everything I say and turn it against me." She informed him.

"Back to the trust issue so quickly?" He asked, his eyebrows rising in curiosity.

"I never said a word about trust, you did."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why are you so exasperating?"

"Why do set yourself up to become exasperated by me?"

"Why won't you just answer the damn question?"

"Why don't you trust me?" They leered at one another before Cameron topped off what remained in her glass and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. With courage that she didn't know she possessed she looked straight into his eyes before beginning…


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I know I didn't put one of these on the past two chapters but now I did. I think the word disclaimer speaks for itself, don't you?

"_Why don't you trust me?" They leered at one another before Cameron topped off what remained in her glass and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. With courage that she didn't know she possessed she looked straight into his eyes before beginning…_

"I'm afraid of getting hurt." She sighed, looking back down at her drink. "That is why I don't trust _anyone_, you included."

"That statement implies that you've been hurt before." He stated, his gaze never wavering from her shifting eyes.

"It does?" She asked, taking a long sip on her drink.

"Yes, it does." He informed her. "And by the way you're acting I'd say you were hurt pretty bad."

"You get all that from me taking a sip of the scotch _you_ poured me?" She replied sarcastically.

"No, I get that from the lack of eye contact and your own damn implications." He barked. "You've made it perfectly clear to me today that either someone did something really horrible to you or your just putting on one hell of a show."

"Why the hell would I put on a show?" She hissed. "I have no desire to try and prove something to _you_ or anyone for that matter."

"Insecure as well as distrusting, you are one fucked up person." He snipped, topping off his drink.

"Who are you to talk to me aboutbeing _fucked_ up? Have you took a look in the mirror lately?" She fumed, standing to her feet and moving towards the door. Turning on her heel she was surprised to find him right behind her, his eyes revealing his own anger.

"Who are you to judge me?" He snapped, moving closer to her, too close.

"I could ask you the same question." She replied, turning again and pulling the door open and retreating out of it, feeling his eyes on her back.

"A cripple." He called to her, causing her to halt on the sidewalk. "An addict." He added as she turned to face him, the wind catching her shirt and pulling it towards the sky behind her. She sighed, looking down at the ground as he limped towards her. "Not enough?" He asked after stopping about a foot from her. "Inconsiderate, condescending, over-confident asshole. Did I forget anything?"

"Narcissistic insolent." She replied, looking up to see a smile creeping to his features.

"Have you been reading my profile on Eharmony again?" He asked, earning a smile from a stone faced Cameron. He smiled at his ability to make her smile and slowly reached out to grab her hand. "Let's go back inside, I'll play for you." He offered. Only nodding in response she became very aware of the fact that his hand was grasping hers, holding onto her for the support he needed without his cane. He was allowing her to support him. _'That's the only reason.'_ She snapped at herself. _'He wouldn't be holding your hand had he remembered his cane.'_

His mind whirled at the feel of her warm, small hand in his own. She was truly fragile and if he wanted anything to happen between them he would have to treat her as such. But how? Could he honestly treat her like this while they were at work? Foreman bring some homies to bitch slap him into the same treatment and Chase would attack him with his long hair and talk him to death with that annoying accent. Did he really want to take that chance. '_Hell yes.'_ He told himself when he felt goosebumps arise near her wrist and felt the involuntary shiver that ran throughout her body. She wanted him for him, narcissistic insolent that he was. Squeezing her hand a little tighter they entered through the still open front door and he felt a pang of disappointment surge through him at the loss of skin on skin contact.

Turning to face her he was surprised to see her still standing near the door. "House it's…it's getting late, maybe I should just call a cab, we've got work tomorrow and-"

"One song." He interrupted. "A freebie, then I'll call you a cab, ok?" She only nodded as he limped past her towards the piano as she sat on the couch, watching curiously. His hands dallied over the keys for a moment and she could see that he was having a hard time deciding. "Any requests?" He asked over his shoulder but began to play before she could even register the question. She smiled instantly, watching as his head moved slightly with each key that he struck for the intro to "Faithfully". He had said earlier that she had good taste and it was likely that House was a Journey fan, but to actually play the song? Her brow furrowed in contemplation of why he would play this song, of all the songs he undoubtedly knew, he had chosen this one. The one she had caught him listening to at his desk today. Wait… She played back this afternoon in her head, seeing his hands positioned over his desk as they were now, he had planned this.

The words began to play through her mind as he entered the first chorus of the song and she closed her eyes and released her thoughts as he played. She hummed quietly along with the song, smiling at the lyrics, memories flooding through her mind with her as a teenager. At that age she had set in stone that she would marry a music man, make it work, deciding that a strong love, like the song had stated, could endure anything. Time, distance, temptation…it was nothing compared to the love that two people could share.

As she came back down to earth she opened her eyes to catch House glancing over his shoulder at her, his hands continuing to move as he caught her gaze. She smiled openly at him as he entered the last tag of the song. Abruptly ending he only sat there, his gaze never wavering as Cameron continued to smile. After a long moment however her gaze wavered and she found herself on her feet, moving towards him. "Thank you." She said quietly after coming to a halt in front of him. His only response was to nod, his stare finally broken as he turned his head and slowly began keying the notes again. Leaning towards him she softly planted a kiss on his rough cheek, lingering a moment longer than necessary and allowing her cheek to brush across his rough stubble as she stood back straight. "It was beautiful." She informed him as he slowly maneuvered his whole body to face her.

Turning slightly she took a step towards the door only to feel his hand grasp her wrist and roughly pulled her down to rest on his lap. Ignoring the pain that throbbed throughout his leg at the gesture he took a moment to take in the surprised look on her face, the curiosity in her eyes. Resting his right arm around her waist he slowly brought his left up to the side of her face, allowing his fingers to trace the side of her cheek before his thumb brushed her trembling lower lip ever so slightly. Feeling her shallow breath on his face he brought his hand behind her neck where he applied the slightest pressure, coaxing her to lean forward.

Locking her eyes in an intense stare she saw him almost dare her to close them. He saw the questions appear in her eyes, the fear of what might happen if they crossed this line, allowed themselves to care. "Trust me." He whispered softly, their lips only a breath apart.

"I want to." She managed to choke out, her gaze locked on his lips.

"I want you to too." He replied as his other hand grasped her face and his thumbs traced lazy circles on her cheeks. Meeting her halfway he softly brushed his lips to hers once, twice. Pulling back slightly he smiled slightly at her before dipping in again, desperately kissing her as his arms encircled her waist. Running his tongue along her bottom lip she granted him permission almost instantly, both moaning at the contact. Slowly allowing himself to explore and claim her mouth he smiled at how she leaned into him, giving as good as she was getting, her hands running through his hair as his inched under her wife beater.

Her skin was burning against his hand and her gasp at the contact allowed him to run his tongue to sweep the whole of hers, both tasting of scotch. Languidly kissing for an undecipherable amount of time it was too soon when his leg could handle no more. Pulling away regretfully he ran his hands down the sides of her face and kissed her softly once more. Smiling at the gesture she stood to her feet, knowing when he stopped why he had done so because another lower part of his anatomy was surely not complaining. Standing near her he let the blood circulate as he leaned in to kiss her once more. "We better get going." He informed her after pulling away. Taking her hand once more he led her, confused, to the door. "We're gonna take this slow." He stated. "Get to know each other…settle trust issues." He smiled as she chuckled. "You ok with that?" He asked, leaning down so that he could meet her eye level.

"Of course." She smiled and leaned in to kiss him soundly.

A/N: Review PLEASE!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Again the word speaks for itself.

A/N: This chapter is a little longer than my previous ones, hope y'all enjoy.

Taking her hand once more he led her, confused, to the door. "We're gonna take this slow." He stated. "Get to know each other…settle trust issues." He smiled as she chuckled. "You ok with that?" He asked, leaning down so that he could meet her eye level.

"Of course." She smiled and leaned in to kiss him soundly.

"Are you sure you just don't want me to call a cab?" She asked, mounting the bike behind him.

"You only live seven blocks from here." He stated, revving the engine in blatant disdain of the dark apartments around them.

"I know." She replied, grasping at his waist slightly. "But I've kept you long enough, you need rest too."

"I'll sleep better knowing you're home." He called over his shoulder as he made a U-turn in the middle of the street and sped away. She smiled at his words. Marveling at how sweet he could be when he wanted to be. Her smile grew wider at the fact that he was only this way with her. He wanted to take this slow, not just jump her bones and pretend that it never happened. Something was going to come of this and _he_ had been the one to suggest it! She placed her cheek on his back and held on tight, this would be one hell of a ride.

He pulled to the front of her building and stopped, allowing her to jump off. Pulling the helmet from her head he smiled at her wild hair before taking her hand and pulling her to him for a sweet kiss. "I'll be here at eight." He told her as she stepped backwards. Watching until she safely entered the building he regretfully pulled away. Convincing himself that taking this slow would make it last.

Pulling on a pair of sleep pants and throwing off her button down she wasted no time in falling flat on her back on the bed. Smiling into the darkness she felt the cool air of the ceiling fan cooling her slightly. Her eyes closed as her fingers came to her lips, where moments earlier his lips had been. Her smile grew at this but disappeared as her cell phone began to buzz on the nightstand beside her. Picking it up she wasn't surprised to see 'House' flashing across the caller ID. "Hello? She greeted, bringing the phone to her left ear.

"Thought I'd call and let you know I got home." He said, no formal greeting in return.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed. "I would have worried all night."

"I bet you would have." He smiled, landing on his couch. The phone remained silent for a moment, both debating on what to say next. He spoke first. "My piano is tainted now." He informed her.

"And why is that?" She asked playfully.

"Because when I look at it now I think of you." He replied honestly to which she audibly gasped., taking a moment to register his words she finally responded.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" She whispered.

"Oh, its definitely a good thing." He replied instantly, seeing her in his head, shifting nervously. "I just thought I should let you know." He said. "See you at eight?"

"I'll be waiting."

"Good night Cameron."

"Night House." She smiled snapping her phone shut and laying it gently on the night stand. Rolling over to sprawl out across the bed she smiled into her pillow. Squeezing her eyes shut she found herself soon asleep…

The alarm clock buzzed noisily beside her head and she automatically rolled over to punch it, smiling as the noise ceased. The smell of coffee drifted through her apartment and her eyes immediately shot open. "I didn't set that thing." She whispered, becoming frightened as to who would break into her apartment and make coffee. Pulling her hair down she did it back up before slowly walking towards the kitchen. Turning in the doorway yelped and jumped back at the sight of House, two cups of coffee in hand. "House!" She exclaimed, holding her hand over her heart as he eyed her curiously. Slowly he extended a cup of coffee to her and she graciously accepted, turning to walk towards the living room. "You broke into my apartment?" She asked as she flopped down on the couch, bringing her legs up to rest under her as she sipped on the precious liquid, eyeing him. Dressed in a black Clash t-shirt, white button down, blue jeans, and a pair of Nike Shocks he looking positively scrumptious.

"No, I had keys made." He replied, coming to sit next to her, his cane forgotten in the kitchen.

"Keys? How?"

"When you three first started your fellowship I stole your keys and had copies made, in case of an emergency."

"So you break into our apartments and make us coffee?" She smiled as he sipped on his own coffee.

"No, only the ones I can do this to." He slowly leaned over and took his face in her hands, pulling her to him in a sweet kiss. He tasted of coffee and toothpaste. He leaned back after a moment to see a content smile on her face.

"Well Chase has been shooting you looks for a while, I should've known something was up."

"Yeah, I didn't call him back." House replied sarcastically, eyeing her with a curious gaze as he sipped his coffee. They remained in silence as Cameron's body began to awaken with help from the coffee. Placing the empty cup on the table in front of her she looked to the clock which informed her that it was already 7:30.

"I'm gonna go get ready." She said, standing and stretching her tiny body, yawning involuntarily. Bringing her arms back down to her side she shuffled lazily past him before being encompassed by a pair of strong arms around her waist. Pulling her flush against him House wasted no time in bringing his mouth to her neck, his stubble gently scratching the soft skin of her neck as he applied feather light kisses up and down it before sucking gently. Her hands came to rest on top of his and she moaned at the feel of his tongue coming to flick lightly across the undoubtedly red mark he was making. "If you….keep that up…." He slowly loosened his grip on her, ceasing his work on her neck.

"Slow." He said aloud as a reminder to himself. Turning her to face him he kissed her soundly, enjoying how her lips parted in surrender to his, allowing him to run his tongue across hers as his arms again enveloped her. He again took his time in kissing her, making himself slow it down, enjoy the moment. She pulled back after a long moment, her hands in his hair before he leaned down to give her several sweet, slow kisses. "Go get ready." He commanded, falling back onto the couch and finishing off what was left of his coffee. "You're a distraction." Her only response was to smile as she turned and headed towards her bedroom. As he heard the shower begin running it took every inch of willpower in him not to go join her.

They pulled into the hospital at five after eight with a half pot of coffee in their system. Deciding again on the comfortable yet professional look she donned a black button down, jeans, and the K-Swiss. Jumping off the bike she waited for House to dismount before turning to him with a questioning look. He only nodded as he grabbed his cane and taking that as the queue she bounced off towards the doors, allowing House to limp some ways behind her. Taking the elevator up to their floor she entered his office to separate his mail before going to make the coffee in the conference room.

Chase, oddly enough, was the first to show donning a 'I got laid last night' smile as he sat at the table, awaiting the coffee. Cameron took a seat opposite of him and offered a slight smile as 'hello' before picking up the paper and beginning to read. Watching her impatiently Chase drummed his fingers across the table, dying to be asked what had put him in such a mood. "What?" She finally snapped, dropping the paper and giving her full attention to a beaming Chase. It was at this moment that Foreman entered the conference room, eyeing the two of them curiously as he pulled on his lab coat.

"What's with you?" He asked Chase as Cameron stood to pour three cups of coffee.

"I was just getting ready to share…" Chase started as Cameron sat two steaming cups of coffee before the two of them and then sat with her own.

"Somebody got laid." House barked as he opened the door.

"How did you-" Chase began.

"I could smell your over-confident ego from the lobby." House informed him before throwing him his badge. "Go brag about it at the clinic." He barked. Chase only shot him an evil glare as he picked up his coffee and practically skipped out the door, offering no argument for fear of ruining his good mood.

"No patient?" Foreman asked, sipping on his coffee as Cameron prepared a fourth for House. Limping to the seat across from him House only propped up his feet as Cameron placed the coffee in front of him. Taking out his Game Boy he turned on the game and began to play. "Only the one that's dying." He replied and continued to play in silence. "Cuddy's not here." House informed them after losing and throwing the game on the table.

"Cuddy?" Foreman asked, bewildered as to why she wasn't here.

"Wilson said she called in sick." He replied. "If you ask me I'd say Chase gave her too much lovin' last night." He quipped. Foreman only chuckled and Cameron suppressed the grin that was threatening to sweep across her face.

"You don't actually-" She started.

"I doubt it." Foreman answered for House. "If anyone was giving it to her it'd be Wilson."

"I don't know how comfortable I am with this." Wilson replied as he stepped fully through the door where he had been standing since House had announced Cuddy's absence.

"Foreman, how dare you talk about Jimmy like that!" House exclaimed before looking to Wilson. Cameron audibly laughed this time, drawing the attention of all three men.

"I'll go check on Scott." She informed them.

"I'll join you." Foreman stood, leaving the room hurriedly as Wilson occupied his now empty seat.

"They think I'm screwing Lisa?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in speculation. House only threw up his hands in defense.

"I can tell them what to do, but not what to think. Does the idea repulse you?"

"No, I just-"

"So you do want Cuddy?" He interrupted.

"No things are bad enough as they are with me and Julie, why would I want to…" He trailed.

"Drop another sucker into this mess? I dunno Jimmy, what has prompted you in the past?"

"You really are a character, you know that right?" Wilson smiled, ignoring his friends question.

"I guess. An evil one at that."

"Not evil just an asshole." Wilson smiled. "How did things go with Cameron?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you give her iPod back to her?" He asked and House sighed inwardly at how uniformed his friend was.

"Yes, she called me a rogue before I told her that you were the one who stole it."

"I didn't steal it House, I put it up so _you_ wouldn't steal it."

"And that's what I told her." He replied, grabbing his cane from the chair and standing to his feet.

"That's it?" He called after him.

"What did you expect?" He replied, limping out the door towards their patients room. "Doing better?" He asked the young man, interrupting the conversation taking place with he and Foreman.

"Am I still dying?" Scott asked.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Then no." He snapped, looking back to Foreman.

"Where's Cameron?" House asked, not allowing the patient to start the conversation back.

"She went up to the dark room." He replied. "The x-ray machine is down and she has to make one the old-fashioned way."

"Why was he given an x-ray anyway? His problem is in his brain."

"I think I broke my pinky tow in the bath tub this morning." Scott informed him to which House burst out laughing.

"You laugh while I lie here in pain?" The young man fumed.

"I've got news for you, if you did indeed break your pinky toe you'll know it for a while, you can't put a cast on it. We'll wrap it up and give you some aspirin." He informed him, limping out the door without another word.

"That guy's a dick!" He heard the man complain as the door closed behind him. Only shrugging House moved to the elevator where he went up a floor, stepping off onto the test center's floor. Moving past the nurse's station and waiting room the turned down the last hallway to the right before standing in front of the last door on the right. Ignoring the red light outside the door that warned do not enter he rapped his cane against the door heavily until a muffled, "Hold on." Sounded from the room. The door then opened only a crack and he swiftly entered the room, closing the door behind him and hanging his cane on the handle. Cameron was placing the x-ray on the line above them, letting the water drip from the thing as House came to stand next to her.

"Broken?" He asked to which she only nodded, staring intently at it. "Kid can't catch a break." House sighed, watching as her hand shifted to the button signaling that it was safe to enter the room. His hand came to rest over hers, keeping her from doing such.

"House, we're at work, we can't –" He used his hold on her to push her against the wall of the tiny room, pressing himself fully against her. She felt him through the confines of his jeans and couldn't help but moan at the contact as his hands moved slowly up her waist. "House." She breathed in futile, enjoying the feel of his hands on her too much.

Smirking at this he bent to catch her lips in a mind-blowing kiss, his hands travelling up to graze the sides of her breasts to which she gasped, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. Her moans sent him over the edge and he found his hands on the back of her thighs where he applied the slightest pressure. Her mouth broke from his as he began to run fervent kisses along her neck, grunting as she held her ground, objecting his attempts at lifting her from the ground, knowing it would be too much on his leg. Attempting to lift her once again she applied all her weight onto the soles of her feet before he pulled back, glaring at her. She tried to reason with him using her eyes but her only pressed her against the wall again, lifting her easily off of the ground and giving her no choice but to wrap her legs around him.

Pressing her up against the wall with his chest flat against hers they both moaned as their groins met. Moving his hands to her face and relying on his legs to hold her flat against the wall he pulled her mouth to his in a searing kiss as their hips began to rock against one another. Pushing his tongue into her mouth as her nimble fingers inched underneath his tee he was surprised to hear himself gasp and even more surprised to hear a knock upon the door. "House? Cameron?" Came Chase's annoying voice. Pushing himself from her and catching her arms as her legs hit the ground he rasped out a response.

"What!"

"It's Scott." Foreman replied as Cameron grabbed the x-ray and House opened the door. "He's gone into a coma."

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW… I'm going to incorporate a song into this fic, anybody got a clue as to what it is? My only hint is that it's in the title. The band is what I'm looking for, anyone have a clue? If you do tell me if it'd be stupid to incorporate it.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: A considerably longer chapter than my last one, I am so proud of my self. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Enough said…

"_House? Cameron?" Came Chase's annoying voice. Pushing himself from her and catching her arms as her legs hit the ground he rasped out a response. _

"_What!"_

"_It's Scott." Foreman replied as Cameron grabbed the x-ray and House opened the door. "He's gone into a coma."_

'Vicodin! Vicodin! Vicodin!' His leg screamed as he and Cameron exited the room behind Chase and Foreman. Limping close behind he stepped towards the back of the empty elevator, pulling a bottle from his pocket he downed two pills, the bitter sweet taste already offering a sense of relief on his leg. Glancing towards Cameron he was surprised to see her blatantly staring at him, her head shaking in response to his pills as if to say I told you so. He reminded himself to have a talk with her about that later.

His thoughts swiftly ended however as the elevator came to a halt on their floor, the doors opening and allowing them to step off, House already limping ahead of his ducklings. Stepping into the patients room the first thing he did was sigh before picking up the kid's chart and reading his stats.

"Pain induced coma." He stated, shaking his head he threw the clipboard on the food tray beside him. Turning he walked through Chase and Foreman and ignored a tearing Cameron in the corner.

"How long does he stay on life support?" Chase called to him as he was halfway out the door.

"He won't make it through the night." House stopped, dropping his head for a moment before proceeding out the door and back to the elevator. The three ducklings stood in silence for a moment, their gazes weighing intensely on the dying man.

"Out of all the things we've seen…" Cameron started. "There has never been a person we couldn't treat in _some _way. There _has_ to be something."

"You know as well as us all that there is no treatment for this type of brain degeneration." Foreman stated.

"We could have prevented this coma though, we should've seen the signs." She argued.

"We couldn't have known!" Chase exclaimed. "There was no way of knowing that a pain as small as a broken pinky toe would shut his body down."

"With the cases we've seen we should've at least known that this _could _happen."

"Did you not hear House?" Foreman snapped. "This kid was one in every three million Cameron. We have never had a patient like this and more than likely never will again. He lived a longer life than most people with his condition."

"A considerably longer life." Chase added, not to outdone by his colleague. Shaking his head at a still watery eyed Cameron, Foreman finally sighed.

"I'm on clinic." He stated, moving towards the door, leaving Chase and Cameron alone with the comatose patient.

"You ok Cam?" Chase asked, moving slightly closer to her as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm fine." She replied, her shoulders sagging as she willed herself to quit crying.

"You sure?"

"I think I know how I feel."

"Again are you sure?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She fumed as her head snapped up to glare at him.

"It is what it is." He replied, shrugging his shoulders and turning on his heels towards the door.

"You wait just a minute." She demanded as he turned once again to face her. "Don't start something and not finish it."

"I just- It meant nothing Cameron."

"No, if you've got the balls to start it, finish it."

"I'm just thinking that you may be thinking that this was somehow your fault."

"And you would think that because…" She trailed, anger fueling inside of her with every word out of his mouth.

"You're crying Cameron, arguing about reading the signs, trying to fix something that's said and done. We lost one Cameron and its not your fault."

"He's not dead yet." She snapped, looking down at the ground before adding. "And I never said that it was _anyone's _fault."

"Just – Cameron," He started, fumbling for the right words to say. "Don't feel guilty for the fact that he will die. He lived a good life for someone in his condition."

"What good life? Hospital treatments since the age of two months? Losing his parents, no family to grieve with, make memories with? Living in the streets because no one wants a sick damaged kid? Dying alone? That's _not_ a life."

"And who are you to say?" Chase spat back. "You need to learn Allison that just because you have a rough life doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it. You can live to be a hundred years old and have accomplished nothing in life. This kid lived to be twenty and was bragging this morning on his childhood which despite his bad medical history he loved. Little league, first dance, first kiss, first fuck, he got to enjoy life in the short time he spent here. People make their lives what they want it to be Allison, he enjoyed it for as long as he could, staying as healthy as he could, _you_ should take a lesson from _him_." He turned and again headed towards the door, calling over his shoulder. "Everyone has to die Cameron, whether or not its fair is not for us to decide."

She stood in silence for a good long while, completely dumbstruck at his outburst, every word of it true nonetheless. Covering her mouth with her hands new waves of tears begin to pour down her face as she looked down at a man who even House could not save.

_Plunk. Plunk. Plunk. Plunk. Plu-"_Hey you could put an eye out with this thing!" Wilson chided as he caught the ball House was throwing against the glass wall. House only shrugged in response, no smart remarks forming in retaliation. "Are you dying?" Wilson asked seriously as he sat to examine his friend closely.

"No you smart ass." He replied, swiping the ball from Wilson's hand before resuming the activity he had so rudely interrupted.

"Out of comebacks? Never thought I'd see the day."

"We lost one." House sighed, catching the ball and then throwing it across the room before resting his elbows on his knees, hands covering his face.

"Who?"

"The only patient I have." House replied.

"Why didn't I hear about it?"

"He's not dead yet, he went into a coma about fifteen minutes ago."

"From the broken toe." Wilson stated after a moment, eyeing House questioningly.

"Yeah. I didn't see it coming."

"_You didn't?_" He asked, his gaze now becoming one of concern.

"No, my mind was elsewhere." He admitted, looking up to his friend's curious stare. "Cameron and I…" He trailed. He smiled slightly as Wilson's eyes widened before present circumstances dawned once again on him. "I wasn't thinking about the kid, just the fact that she was alone in the dark room."

"Because the machine is broken." Wilson finally replied as if to say, ah.

"And I lost a patient because of it."

"You can't look at it that way House, the kid was going to die."

"We're all going to die." House spat. "If I wasn't so busy thinking with my dick then I could have kept him from going into a coma."

"What could you have done House? Keep him from a coma and watch him suffer through experimental treatments for the next few months? He has no family, no wife, no kids, and no health. Even with the treatment he wouldn't have lived much longer."

"He still could have lived." He replied, standing to his feet and limping out onto the balcony without his cane. Wilson only sighed and looked out at his friend how was leaned over the terrace, staring out into the night. Standing he contemplated leaving an obviously distressed House to his thoughts but curiosity won him over and he soon found himself leaning against the terrace facing the doors, his arms folded across his chest. They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity before House answered the question Wilson was too reluctant to ask. "We haven't done anything serious yet."

"Who?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." House replied, turning to mimic Wilson's stance against the terrace.

"But you've…" He trailed. "Talked about how you feel?" He felt House's smirk before seeing it and could only smile as he looked down to the ground. "What do you want of it?"

"I wanted to bend her over and have my way with her in the dark room today." He replied honestly.

"Cameron's going to want more than just sex." Wilson informed him.

"She doesn't want anything as of right now." House countered to which Wilson only arched an eyebrow to in response. "We're going to take it slow."

"She suggested that after she's threw herself at you for so long?"

"Actually I was the one to suggest it."

"Bullshit." Wilson retorted, staring quizzically at him.

"I shit you not." He replied. "Our little Cameron has trust issues." His gaze snapped to his office doors as he detected movement in front of him. A moment later a slightly composed Cameron was staring at the two of them. "Were your ears burning?" House smirked as Wilson looked uncomfortably at the ground, knowing that she wished to speak with House.

"I'm going home early." He stated simply before passing Cameron and heading towards his office. She watched his retreating figure until he disappeared out the door and down the hallway. Looking up at a still smirking House she slowly moved towards him, taking Wilson's spot next to him on the terrace.

"You ok?" They asked simultaneously, House looking at her tear-stained face, Cameron eyeing his leg.

"I asked you first." House replied, turning to stand directly in front of her. She smiled slightly at his comment before slowly bringing her eyes up to his intense stare.

"I'll be fine." She replied as truthfully as she could. "And you?"

"I'm doing…ok." He replied, hunting for the correct word to say.

"And your leg?"

"Same pain as always." He replied, looking down to said leg.

"You shouldn't have lifted me in the dark room."

"You shouldn't have planted your feet, I had to lift harder."

"House you know damn well that an extra hundred plus pounds is **_not_** good for that leg."

"That's why I used my other leg."

"That's a ball-faced lie. You were popping Vicodin as soon as we were out of there."

"And your point…"

"I don't expect you to change because we're…" She trailed.

"Prospectively starting something?" She nodded and noticed that his eyes were beginning to darken. "I want you to know something from here on out, I plan to change nothing about myself and I expect you to do the same. I know what I am capable of, bum leg or not. The way we were going at it…I needed to…" He trailed, this time allowing her to finish his thought.

"Feel me?" She offered, smiling at the power she held over him.

"If that's what you want to call it. If we keep up like that I'm not sure how long I can take it slow."

"I wasn't the one to initiate it!" She exclaimed.

"But you reacted…quite enthusiastically if memory serves me right."

"It happened not half an hour ago." She smiled as he took a step towards her.

"I know." He replied, dipping in to plant his lips softly to hers. "You wanna go back to my place?" He asked after pulling away.

"What happened to taking it slow?"

"I never said that we'd do anything, we could just talk."

"Talk?" She asked rhetorically. "What about Scott?"

"Chase and Foreman can cover it, if they need us they'll call."

"What do we tell them?"

"About what?"

"Where we're going, what we're doing…"

"I didn't know you were part of a package deal…I don't know that I like the idea of sharing." She playfully swatted at his arm as he turned and they walked towards the door.

"You know what I meant."

"Well I'm not sure that it's any of their business where we're going or what we're going to do when we get there."

"I agree." She smiled as they exited his office. "Foreman is on clinic and I have no idea where Chase is." She informed him as they neared the elevator.

"I'll talk to Chase then, he and Foreman will work in shifts."

"And where are you going to tell them I will be?" She asked as the doors opened and they stepped onto a semi-occupied elevator.

"In my bed." House replied simply, drawing a raised eyebrow from the pedestrian next to them. House only smiled as Cameron looked bashfully down to the floor.

"I'll be waiting…" She told him as they stepped off the elevator and House limped slowly towards the clinic.

"I'm leaving." House announced as he opened the door to exam room number two.

"And I care because…" Foreman replied, looking up from his clipboard.

"You don't. Cameron is going home as well, you and Chase decide what shifts to take tonight."

"Why doesn't Cameron have to pull a shift?"

"Did you _see_ her today?" House replied, a knowing look appearing on Foreman's features.

"It shouldn't be an excuse to get out of work." He sighed.

"She's a woman, what do you expect?" He replied, turning and heading out the door.

"Why so lenient?" He called after his mentor.

"It's not leniency." He replied, his back still to him.

"Then what else would you call it?"

"It's called I'm your damn boss and I say who stays and who doesn't." He barked. "But if you must know it's because she's better to look at after a good nights rest, you and hair boy look the same even on an hours sleep." And with that House was limping out the door leaving a glaring Foreman in his wake.

She stood in the car park next to both their vehicles, her mind obviously contemplating what driving arrangement he would suggest. "I'll follow you to your place." He offered, mounting his bike. She offered no response other than to get into her car where she followed him out. The traffic was only mild for six o'clock and she was parked in less than fifteen minutes, jumping out as House handed her a helmet. "Ready?" He asked, and with a pat on the stomach as a reply they were speeding to his place.

It was something she would never tire of doing, she told herself as they stopped in front of his town house some few minutes later. The feel of his body in front of her, the wind whipping at her clothes, the sharp winding curves, and the motor beneath them, she would never tired of the exhilaration. Slowly jumping off the bike she hesitated slightly when she heard him limping towards the door. '_What exactly was he planning to happen?'_ She asked herself as he looked back and gave her a questioning look. Her legs were advancing towards his door before her brain could tell her to do so and it was only a moment before she was seated on his couch, staring at the piano she had tainted.

"Drink?" He asked as he peeled off his button down and threw it on the piano's bench.

"No thanks." She replied politely as he walked off into the kitchen. Moments later he appeared with a bottle of water and sat next to her on the couch, chugging on the cold liquid. Finishing the bottle in one long drink he wasted no time in burping loudly and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Awful thirsty weren't we?"

"You have no clue." He smirked, looking over to her as he threw the bottle on the table in front of them and removed his shoes. "Might as well get comfortable." He offered, motioning at her shoes which she discarded soon after. The silence covered the room as he tapped his knee, his mouth twisting from left to right as he contemplated where to go now. "You know talking is over rated." He said, maneuvering quickly and pinning her against the couch, resting his weight semi-comfortably on his left leg as his hands landed on the arm of the sofa behind them. Before she could protest his mouth was covering hers, caressing unrelentlessly. Her hands came around his back, pressing him further against her as one of his hands came to her cheek.

His tongue slowly traced her teeth before she opened her mouth, allowing him full access. Now familiar territory he let his tongue trace and count her teeth before he let it graze hers to which she responded by swirling hers teasingly around his. He smiled at this playful game of cat and mouse and quickly dominated, bringing himself up on his left knee so that he was above her, her head forced upwards as their tongues gently collided in an ancient dance. She moaned at this movement and he felt himself harden at the feel of her against him.

He relaxed into her once again, abdicating his position above her and allowing them both to give and take. After a few long minutes they ceased their activity, and House slid down her body, moving her slightly with him before resting his cheek between her breasts, the rest of his body resting comfortably between her spread legs where he listened to her racing heart beat. Her hands came to rest on his head where she ran her fingers through his hair, a questioning stare fixed on an unknowing House at his position. _'A cuddler?'_

His arms wrapped around her back as he sighed contentedly. "Your heart is racing." He stated roughly.

"You're sweating." She replied, showing him her damp hand before again running her fingers through his hair.

"Apparently having my perspiration on you isn't a problem…" He trailed, resting his chin between her breasts and looking up at her. "I'll remember that later." He winked. She only laughed, bringing her hands to the sides of his face and tracing his rough cheeks, her body tingling at the sensation. His eyes closed at her rhythmic touch and he soon felt her breath hitch in her stomach. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes shooting open to glance questioningly at her.

"Nothing's _wrong_." She replied, her movements stilling as she stared back at him. "I just like the feel of you."

"The stubble?"

"Yeah." She replied. "It's one of the first things that attracted me to you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, actually to any man, I love the feel of it."

"Erotic?" He asked knowingly, feeling her breath coming in short gasps as he unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her stomach and slid slightly down her body.

"Yes." She gasped as she felt his chin softly scraping her small stomach. He looked up to her with a devilish grin before turning to place his cheek there, running it from the end of her bra to the waist of her jeans and then from hip to hip before moving upward, enjoying the heavy rise and fall of her stomach with each breath she took. "House?" She breathed, her hands coming to his head where she stilled his movements. He maneuvered his head to stare up at her and immediately did a double take at the lust her eyes held. Along with her still labored breathing House found the combination deadly and found himself growing hard again. "Screw slow." She whispered.

"Are you being literal or are you talking about our agreement?" He asked, lifting himself up on his elbows.

"Both." She replied before he swiftly covered her lips in a passionate kiss….

A/N: Review please. A lot of SMUT to come in the next chapter. The band was Switchfoot, which an anonymous reviewer knew, you're so smart! I don't know whether or not to use it, all I know is that it's playing right now and every time I sit down to write a new chapter. My muse if you will. Don't forget to press the purple button, you may have after this long as AN. Press the PURPLE BUTTON!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Very Dirty….

Disclaimer: NOT MINE

"_Screw slow." She whispered. _

"_Are you being literal or are you talking about our agreement?" He asked, lifting himself up on his elbows._

"Both." She replied before he swiftly covered her lips in a passionate kiss….

He pulled away slightly, breathing labored, eyes clouded. Leaning down he took her bottom lip between his teeth biting softly, his eyes closing in response to the moan this elicited from her. Her fingers went to work on his t-shirt, lifting it up to the back of his neck and allowing her finger nails to gently slide down his back, enjoying the feel of goosebumps that rose beneath her fingers on his hot skin and the groan he emitted as he pushed himself against her. She gasped at the feeling of his hard cock against her stomach before he pulled away, using his right arm to hold him above her as his left worked on pulling his shirt over his head. He switched arms and threw the shirt to the floor, bringing his eyes to hers as he hovered above her. "Are you sure?" He asked roughly, his eyes piercing through her.

She met his gaze and pulled him to her, running her tongue along his lips and forcing his mouth open, daring him to return her fervor. He complied gratefully, running his hands along her hips, enjoying the feel of her bare stomach against his. As he desperately reached for her bra he found it almost impossible to relieve her of it, their position on his couch unforgiving. He pulled away regretfully and rectified the situation, standing to his feet and grabbing her hand. Watching as her eyes changed from questioning to impatient he led her down the hall to his bedroom. Before they could enter the dark room fully he was on her, kissing her as if it were the last time he would ever be granted the opportunity.

She moaned at the urgency of his kiss and the feel of cool air hitting her breasts as he relieved her of her bra. She pulled back slightly, mimicking his actions of earlier and lightly nipping at his bottom lip. He groaned and pulled her towards him as he moved towards the bed. Sitting on the edge of the large bed he pulled her to him so that she was straddling his lap and she in turn made sure to place all of her weight on her right leg to keep from hurting his. She placed her hands on either side of his head before leaning to roughly kiss him, running her tongue along his before moving towards the back of his mouth, forcing him to fall back onto the bed, bringing her with him so that he could gain the upper hand in their exchange.

His left hand became entangled in her hair while his right moved to the back of her neck to hold her directly in front of him so that he could engulf her mouth with his own. Her hands in response traced his stomach and rib cage until they came to rest on either side of his face, gently pushing his head down into the pillows. His groan of disapproval was countered with a gasp of surprise at the feel of her slowly sliding down the length of his body, carefully as to avoid jarring his leg. She eyed him as she made it to his calf's, enjoying the curious gaze he shot at her. His breathing was labored, that she could audibly and visually tell, his eyes were playful, cock hard, chest glistening with a light sheen of sweat…he was everything she had ever hoped he would be and he was ready, waiting for her to continue.

She smiled slightly and let her body take over her mind, thankful that her over analyzing mind was taking a back seat to her raging hormones. Bending slowly towards him she brought a hand up to lightly graze along his torso, dallying around his nipples, running through the hair peppered between his pecs, and finally inching down his flat stomach. Smiling as his breathing quickened she let her index finger run along the hem of his boxers that had risen about an inch up the hem of his jeans. Goosebumps again rose at this action and as she slipped her pinky finger into his navel she found herself being pulled to him. "Nah…" She warned, pulling herself back down his body to his awaiting anatomy.

She let herself lightly grasp him through the confines of his jeans and smiled as he pushed himself up into her hand. "Patience." She chided, unbuttoning his pants swiftly and then moving her mouth down to his groin. She could feel his eyes boring into her skull as she neared his zipper, taking the flat of it between her teeth and turning her cheek so that she could pull it down, her cheek grazing against his anatomy as she slowly pulled them off his legs with his boxers.. She was rewarded with a groan of approval and moaned herself at the sight of his erection sitting on his stomach.

Her eyes darted to meet his as she moved her face over his erection and met his hungry eyes with her own before sliding her tongue out to brush the head of his tip to which his hips instinctively arched towards her. She chuckled slightly at his impatience and licked him from base to head and then taking him wholly in her mouth. "Fuck!" He exclaimed, his hands coming to grasp at the top of her head as she began to suck gently.

"Ah! Cam-Ah…" Her action soon turned harsh, in a good way and she found herself sucking on him as if he were a lollipop, a very large lollipop. She stilled her movements for a moment, removing her mouth and stroking him as her eyes came to meet his. This action immediately became a challenge as she met his intense stare. Her gaze never wavered as she again took him in her mouth, bobbing enthusiastically and running her mouth from base to head, allowing her tongue to swirl around the whole of him, sucking roughly and smiling inwardly at her victory as his gaze wavered and his eyes rolled back into his head, unintelligible groans coming from deep within his stomach as he pulled himself from her mouth and looped his hands under her arms, throwing her back onto the bed under him.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't finished –" Her protest was cut short as his mouth covered hers, his hands undoing her pants as his tongue pushed its way towards her throat. He managed to pull the pants past her hips before breaking the kiss and bringing his chin between her breasts, sucking on her right nipple and fingering her left while his stubble grazed the area between the two. "Shit." She gasped, loving the feel of him on her, feeling his frantic hands as they made their way back down her body as his mouth lavished her other breast. He gently coaxed her legs apart and fingered her clit, dick hardening even more at the feel of her dripping wet beneath him. "House!" She screamed as he pushed two fingers into her and lightly bit down on her left nipple. "Ahhhh…" She moaned before he withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his lips and sucking her juices from them, the sight of this had her on the verge of an orgasm and her hips bucked against him.

"I need you…now." She demanded, flipping them over so that she was on top. He reached for the drawer on his nightstand before her hand shot out to still him. "Pill." She answered at the sight of his raised eyebrow and he smiled at the revelation before flipping them over again. "House…" She protested slightly but gasped as he slid himself into her, bottoming out immediately due to how wet she was. "Ah…"

"Good?" He asked after a moment, allowing her to acclimate to his size.

"Oh…." She replied as he pulled her thighs wider apart and withdrew fully before pounding back into her. "Fuck, harder." She demanded, wrapping her legs as far up his back as she possibly could and clenching herself around him.

"Fuck! Don't do that." He rasped. "Not yet anyway." She complied as he began to thrust slowly and deeply within her.

"House…ah…" She groaned as their eyes closed simultaneously. "Harder." She demanded, meeting his thrusts with one of her own as the bed began to bang heavily against the wall behind them with their movement. He complied and grabbed the back of the headboard as he pounded himself into her.

"Cameron…" He grunted. "So…fucking…tight. Ah…" Her fingernails began to scrape down his back as he leaned further down to her, kissing her with everything he had in him as he drove himself into her unrelentlessly. Her tongue tangled in his as her hands flew into his hair, caressing his head as her hips began to arch and her muscles tightened around his cock. His mouth left hers as he pushed faster in her and he buried his head into her neck to roughly suck as she began to buck against him.

"House!" She screamed as her body went rigid with her orgasm.

"Ah…Cam…" He grunted as he continued to thrust into her, her contracting muscles and the feel of her warm cum finally allowing him to do the same. He milked himself within her, continuing with several small thrusts for several moments, allowing them both to ride it out before he extracted himself and collapsed onto the bed beside her. "Next time you do all the work…" He groaned.

_A/N: REVIEW! _


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